The Familiar Winchester
by AngelxPhoenix
Summary: No one had said a word about casting anything on Dean, so why was he standing in the middle of Rowena's circle?


**Hey hey! It's long overdue, but I finally wrote something SPN. *throws confetti* It's short, probably the shortest thing I've ever posted, but there's potential for future chapters if this goes over well. Enjoy!**

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Och, after all we've been through, ye'd think ye'd have a wee bit more faith in me, laddie."

"And Sam is on board with this?"

"Aye, he's fine, now if ye'll stop yer blethering, we can get on with this."

 _Sam is on board with what?_

Fumbling for his key card, Sam unlocked the motel room door and burst inside, stopping dead in his tracks at the scene in front of him. In the fifteen minutes he'd left Dean and Rowena to get something in the way of supplies, they had gotten started on the spell. Fine, cool with him, but no one had said a word about casting anything on Dean, so why was he standing in the middle of Rowena's circle, his misgivings plain on his face as Rowena chanted away? "Dean, what's going on?"

Dean looked up, and Sam saw confusion, realization, and outrage cross his face in about two seconds flat. "Wait!" he shot at Rowena. "You said you'd talked to him!"

"What's going on?" Sam demanded.

"Dammit, Rowena, stop!"

She ignored them both, speaking louder to drown out their protests. Sam moved toward Dean as Dean made to step out of the circle, but she raised a hand and they both froze in place, unable to move.

"Rowena—"

"Dean—"

"—if you don't stop—"

"—what the hell—"

"—I'm going to get out of here—"

"—this wasn't the plan—"

"—and burn your ass at the stake—"

"Dean!"

"Sam!"

Rowena finished her incantation with a crescendo and there was a shifting in the air, like thunder with no sound, and while there wasn't exactly a flash of light, there was a sudden brightness behind Sam's eyes that he closed them on instinct though it did nothing to shield him at all. He called out again for Dean, but couldn't even hear his own voice, much less his brother's. What the hell had Rowena done?

The brightness faded and there was a shrill ringing in his ears, but Sam could hear movement in the room, so at least she hadn't deafened them permanently. He opened his eyes and she was still standing there at the edge of her circle, smiling triumphantly. Sam turned his eyes to the circle itself where Dean had been standing moments before, but Dean was gone. In his place was a lone black cat.

Sam's eyes widened and he looked back at Rowena. "What did you do?" he asked. "Where's Dean?"

Her smile grew. "Unless I'm mistaken," she replied, "he's right where ye left him."

Sam looked at the cat, who looked up at him with glowing yellow eyes. "No," he said, disbelieving. "No way..."

The cat gave a soft meow that was cut short, as if the animal was surprised at its own noise.

"Indeed, I think so," Rowena answered, sounding pleased. "Ye make a verra fetching familiar, Dean Winchester."

The cat yowled loudly.

Sam looked from Rowena to the cat and back again. "Have you lost your mind?" he demanded. "This is...this is insane!"

"It's a sound plan, Sam," Rowena assured him. "Ye want to find the coven ye've been tracking, don't ye? This is how."

"Rowena, you turned him into a cat!"

The cat gave an angry hiss in Rowena's direction.

"Not quite," she argued. "He's still got his mind, his memories, his intelligence...or whatever he happened to have that passed for it. He's a familiar, no ordinary animal, and there's a verra subtle difference, ye ken. Familiars can sense magic. He's a witch tracker."

The cat moved slowly, as if too stunned to manage all four feet, stepping one paw after another toward her.

"There, now, ye see?" she said, reaching down to the animal. "Drawn to it like a compass to true north."

The cat hissed again and swiped a paw at her, raking her hand with its claws.

Sam laughed despite his shock. Rowena was right about one thing: That was definitely Dean, all right.

 **Thanks, guys! R &R, if you don't mind. :)**


End file.
